Plastic/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim and Moby are at a checkout counter at a supermarket. TIM: Paper or plastic? Uh, I don't know. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What is plastic, and why are so many things made from it? Thanks, Jennifer C. The word plastic means something that can be molded, or shaped. It's anything that has the property of plasticity. Moby's arm wraps around his body. TIM: Well, that doesn't count. But by that definition, substances like wax and clay would also qualify as plastic since they're easily bent and shaped. An animation shows a piece of gray clay changing into several shapes. TIM: But plastic plastic, like the kind we think of when we say the word, is the name for a whole range of substances that are made up of polymers. Images show an assortment of plastic items including a fork, cup, fast food container, CD, toothbrush, fishing line, and computer keyboard. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Polymers are these really long chains of molecules that are chemically bonded together. An animation shows molecules attaching to each other. TIM: Some things like tortoise shells, certain trees' sap, and shellac are polymers. Images show the three polymers Tim lists. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yep. Those are natural plastics. People have used them for ages. Animations show the tortoise shell turning into a comb, the tree sap turning into a necklace, and the shellac turning into a can of hair spray. TIM: The modern use of plastics began with semi-synthetic materials like rubber. An image shows a rubber ball. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yep, rubber is actually the sap from rubber trees which grow in tropical regions. An animation shows sap from a rubber tree dripping into a bucket. TIM: The Mayans used it centuries ago to make balls for their games. An image shows a Mayan playing with a rubber ball. TIM: In its natural state, rubber gets hard and brittle in the cold, and sticky and soft in the heat. An animation shows how temperature affects a rubber ball. One thermometer shows a low temperature and the rubber ball cracks. The other thermometer shows a high temperature and the ball melts. TIM: In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered a way to treat rubber and make it durable. This process is called vulcanization. An image shows Charles Goodyear. A popup shows vulcanized rubber. TIM: Goodyear's vulcanized rubber was resistant to water, chemical reactions, and electricity, and it could be molded into lots of different shapes. Images show a boot, pencil, and a Goodyear tire. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, the rubber tree got left behind when people discovered how to create plastics out of entirely manmade, or artificial, molecules. In 1907, Leo Hendrik Baekeland invented a plastic based on a synthetic polymer. He called it Bakelite. Side by side images show a rubber tree and an oval metal machine with steam coming out of it. The image of the machine expands to fill the whole screen. It shows Leo Hendrik Baekeland holding a sheet of paper and using the machine. A popup shows a block of Bakelite. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Bakelite is considered the first true plastic, because it's based on a molecule that isn't found in nature. Bakelite was cheap, tough, and temperature resistant. People loved it. Images show a record, a radio, and a chair, all made out of Bakelite. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Sure, there's way more fun plastic stuff! MOBY: Beep. Moby bounces up and down with excitement. TIM: Well, polystyrene, or packaging foam, is used in food containers, disposable cups, and plastic utensils; polyamide, nylon fibers that are used in toothbrush bristles and fishing lines; polyester, fibers used in a lot of clothing fabric; polycarbonate, used for compact discs and eyeglasses. Oh, you'll like this one, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or ABS for short, is used in things like computer monitors and keyboards. And Teflon, a heat-resistant low-friction coating that's used in nonstick pans, and water slides! Images illustrate the different plastic products Tim names. Polystyrene is a foam food container, fork, and cup. Polyamide is a toothbrush and fishing line. Polyester is a shirt. Polycarbonate is a computer disc and eyeglasses. ABS is a computer monitor and keyboard. Teflon is a slide and frying pan. MOBY: Beep. TIM: We can, we can look some more up later on. Plastic changes from a liquid to a solid during processing, so it's easy to design and work with. An animation shows a liquid being squirted into a mold. The mold opens up and reveals a solid plastic model robot. TIM: You see more and more things made of plastics, and it's safe to say that without it our world would look totally different. An image shows a man sitting at a computer, wearing headphones. The plastic model robot is on the desk and there are pictures on the wall. As Tim imagines a world without plastic, an animation shows everything in the room, including the headphones and the walls, turning into wood. MOBY: Beep. TIM: No, no, that is true. Plastic has a kind of bad reputation with environmentalists, and for some good reasons. First of all, 90 percent of plastic is made with petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource. That means, once that's gone, it's gone for good. And we're using up petroleum pretty fast. An animation shows an oil rig. TIM: And, while it's great that plastic practically lasts forever, one of the bad things about plastic is that, well, it practically lasts forever! It's difficult to dispose of; since plastic isn't made from organic material, it could take several hundred years to decompose. Burning plastic gives off a lot of nasty chemicals too, so that's not a good option. An image shows plastic products sitting in a landfill. There are plastics burning in the background causing smoke to fill the air. TIM: On top of that, the process of making plastic creates a lot of chemical pollution. An image shows a factory with black smoke rising from its stacks. TIM: Finally, scientists have recently discovered that certain chemicals in plastics can leak into foods we eat. An image shows eggs cooking in a frying pan. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, scientists are working on alternatives to plastic. The most promising research is with nanocarbons, molecules produced by vaporizing carbon with really high heat reshaping it into molecules that are strong, slick, lightweight, and thin and stretchy enough to be made into almost anything. An animation shows carbon atoms being reshaped into a nanocarbon. The nanocarbon is labeled carbon-60 (buckyball) and is shown being stretched in different directions. TIM: Plus, nanocarbons are cheap, and making them causes little or no pollution. The technology's still being worked on, but nanocarbons have already been used to make bowling balls, golf balls, and waterproof cotton balls. Images show a bowling ball, golf ball, and cotton ball. STORE CLERK: Ahem. TIM: Oh, yeah, paper or plastic? Um. MOBY: Beep. Moby holds up a tote bag. TIM: Yeah, hey, we, we brought our own bag! Category:BrainPOP Transcripts